Define Platonic
by DrCatAtYourService
Summary: I just didn't know. I still don't know what real love feels like anymore. Really, do any of us? Is love really just a fictional idea promoted by drugged up musicians and sexually frustrated authors? - AU modern day story with kind of OOC Characters. I suck at summaries. Katniss/Gale and Katniss/Peeta. Please don't just read the first chapter! at least read the first TWO :
1. Chapter 1

*********If you are reading this chapter for a second time it is because it has been re-uploaded and edited a bit, the whole story so far (6 chapters) is going through a "re-edit".*****

**A/N: VERY AU, the characters are only losely based off of the books but through out the story you will find that they aren't really all that different from the real characters. This story has a contemporary setting and the "hunger games" never happened. I hope you enjoy it, I haven't written anything for a long, long time so please don't be too mean :)**

**enjoy the first chapter, if you do, please review or subscribe or anything :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Hunger Games, I do however own the intellectual property of this story (the plot and what not)**

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Chapter 1 – GOOGLE, THE KNOWER OF ALL

"Hey Gale, while your playing Play Station I'm gonna use your computer, that cool?" I ask my boyfriend Gale.

"Yea sure Hun, I'm going to the shops later, want anything in particular?"

"nah, I think I'm right..." I sigh.

This is what it's been like between us. So mundane, no romance, no butterflies. Nothing. This is my only day off, half of the day at least, and all my boyfriend can do is play Play Station. Which doesn't even bother me, which alone, bothers me that it doesn't bother me.

Ugh. I love him, I know I do. He's my best friend. Always has been, we've been dating for 2 years and we were best friends before that too. These lulls happen in relationships though right? Aren't we meant to work through them? I don't feel like working through anything, I feel like there is nothing left to work through. Does that make me a bad person? I know I'm not an angel but I've never particularly fancied myself as being outright mean, or a bitch. I scowl a lot, I don't let people in and I don't believe in being in love but it doesn't mean I think Gale is not worthy or deserving of trying.

I think that's it, he deserves better than me, somebody who wants to get married one day, have kids and fight to the ends of the Earth for him no matter what. To put it bluntly, I'm just not that person. I never have been and I probably never will be that person. It's not the whole "it's not you, it's me" situation though because at the same time it isn't entirely my fault we are in the position today either.

I don't know. It's not like he treats me badly, not that at all. Gale has been a wonderful boyfriend, I don't think I will ever find a guy who will treat me this nicely again. Sure, we didn't have dates all the time or do all the normally couple-y things, but he was amazing, is amazing.

I'm not the easiest person to be around. Quite frankly I'm a horrible person to be around, I'm cranky, I'm moody, I have too many issues that I don't deal with. Gale accepts me for all these things, that's what makes us work. He doesn't care that I'm damaged goods, and I accept him for who he is.

Maybe that's it, maybe we accept too many things and should learn to expect something else. I don't expect anything of Gale though. If I had, would things have changed? If I expected him to be romantic, expected him to take me on dates and bring me flowers maybe things would be different. Then again if he expected me to dote upon him, expected me to fawn all over him things would be different too. That was never going to happen though. Maybe it isn't him, or me, but 'us'.

All those things aside though we have a good relationship. People always made fun of us that we were more like an old married couple then a couple of teenagers in a relationship. They were right. What about now though? What has happened to us? We fight more often than not and it feels like all the little things we do for each other, like massages or ignoring the other persons stupid comments seem like such a hard task.

When all else fails, consult Google. Google is the know-er of all. Google is wisdom. Google is there for you, when others are not. Chuck Norris doesn't search Google, Google searches Chuck Norris. Oh, all mighty Google! what does it feel like to be in love?

_**[Google Search Bar: What does it feel like to be in love? -enter-]**_

**"**_**when you always want to be together." **_Well I suppose that's true, I am always with him and I like spending time with him. I don't think we are ever by each others side but I could say the same thing about my younger sister Prim really, how has that got anything to do with BEING in love?

Next.

**"**_**without them, your life feels incomplete."**_I can't imagine my life without Gale, but does that mean he has to be in my life romantically? When I look into the future I see us living together, going to family Christmas celebrations together (with what little family we have left). We don't have to be boyfriend and girlfriend to do those things though, in fact, I've never seen a romantic future with us. Not marriage, not a family, not even romantic weekends where we do nothing but stay in bed together and light candles. Or more realistic, stay in bed all weekend and watch old friends reruns on tv and cook each other silly meals.

Next.

**"**_**Their needs come before you own, you only want them to be happy" **_That's definitely true. Then again, that is the same for Prim and was the same for my father before he died. I'm certainly not IN love, nor was I in love, with either of them. These are stupid results, Google why are you failing me?

Next.

**"Love is giving someone the power to destroy you, and trusting them not to." **Nobody has that power, or at least will ever have it again.

Next.

**"**_**When you touch, butterflies are born. When you kiss, your breath is stolen. When he's hurt, you are torn. When you're smitten, he has fallen. You smile at the very thought of him and your heart feels like it is full to the brim." **_Hmmm, how poetic...If you're into that kind of thing, I suppose. It makes me feel a little bit sick to be honest but I don't think those are the kind of butterflies they are talking about though.

I think I need to break up with Gale.

Turning around in my seat I look over to my boyfriend, my best friend, my lover – no, lover is a bad word - my casual booty call. He is just lying there, lounging on the bed being as lazy as ever. Is this part of the reason I feel like this? because he's so lazy he's just not trying with us anymore?

Ugh, Katniss that's not fair. It takes two to make a relationship work.

Walking over to him, I collapse onto the bed with a big huff.

"Hey Catnip, what's up?" Gale asks me, his gaze not daring to break away from the television screen.

"Are we in love?" I blurt out. We've always had a bit of a weird relationship, I tend to self-disclose a crap load of things to him, but it goes both ways. No bars hold, nothing is too personal. All though I do still tend to hold a lot of bars.

"I mean, it feels like we've just reverted back to being friends with benefits. You know what I mean Gale?" at this, he pauses his game and turns towards me. I brace myself. I knew it would be like this, he loved me for years before we got together. Me being my oblivious self, it took us going from friends, to best friends, to friends with benefits for him to confess his love for me and had loved me for years.

At first it scared the living shit out of me and I refused to talk to him for days, until one morning, I woke up and just decided. Why the hell not. He's good looking, we're sexually compatible, we're together 24/7 anyway. So I said 'O.K.'

I'd been heart broken before, by family and lovers, I thought I'd never feel real love again. I just didn't know. I still don't know what real love feels like any more. But really, do any of us? Is love purely just a fictional idea promoted by drugged up musicians and sexually frustrated authors? Or is it merely a force that causes people to do stupid things, let themselves get hurt and hurt others in the process. My favourite movie is Moulin Rouge but fuck knows what they're singing about.

Because Gale has "loved" me for so long I was afraid. I knew this, us breaking up, was inevitable. I knew it would be me to do it, I just don't want to see him heart broken. I couldn't possibly bear it. But it must be done.

He's just sitting there staring at me. Oh crap, say something Katniss, don't make him cry!

"It's just, I know I love you, but like...are we IN love any more? It just feels like lately we only act like friends- but we still have sex, so friends with benefits- which isn't knew to us anyway, I mean a girls gotta get some- but-" Gale interrupts my babble.

"Sshh Katniss, I feel the same way." He hushes me. Excuse me, what?

"huh?" I lamely respond. Gale shifts positions so he can look at me straight on.

"I've felt like this for a little while now, too, it's just like, the past 6 months we've reverted. I mean I love you too and you'll always be my best friend, always be a huge part of my life." Gale confesses. SIX MONTHS! What the hell? I was talking about the last couple of weeks not 6 fucking months. Is Gale breaking up with me?

"Are you breaking up with me?" what am I saying of course he is breaking up with me, didn't I want to break up with him?

"well isn't that the whole point of this conversation Katniss?" Gale reads my thoughts.

"yea, I guess, but 6 months you've felt like this? Just last week you told me you loved me during sex! Were you ever going to tell me?" I say angrily, why am I even angry? Calm down Katniss, you're being irrational, you initiated the conversation for christs sake!

"eventually I guess"

"you guess?"

"Katniss why are you getting upset, I thought this is what you wanted?" is this what I want?

"Are you only saying this because I initiated the conversation, do you really want to break up with me? I mean YOU WANT to? not just what I want? I don't want you doing anything you don't want to and I don't want to force you into anything."

"You're not forcing me into anything Katniss, like I said I've felt like this for a little while now, is this what you want? I personally think it is the right thing to do." Gale admits. So this is going not like I planned at all.

"I don't know Gale, I just thought we'd talk about things and you'd convince me I was being stupid and it would all go back to normal. I guess, I don't really know. This is all so confusing." I sigh dejectedly. What's the big problem, we're breaking up, shouldn't I be ecstatic that this is going so, for lack of a better word, well.

"is that why you're upset Katniss, because I'm not 'fighting' for you? I mean, I suppose 6 months was a bit of an exaggeration but do you want us to break up? do you want to stay with me?" Gale asks me. Do I?

"I think so...is that okay? I mean, I'm so confused, I don't want to lose you, and the thought of not being your girlfriend makes me feel sad, because I'm not feeling sad...shouldn't I feel sad?"

"haha Katniss, don't feel sad because you DON'T feel sad. We've never been a normal couple, why should our break up be any different? I mean we talked about this before we got into it, that if we felt like it wasn't right we'd be honest so we wouldn't jeopardise our friendship. Well That's what we're doing right now."

And that's how Gale and I ended up sleeping together that night, having the best sex we've ever had. All because we broke up.

What are we now? Eventually at 2 in the morning we agreed to just play things by ear and not label anything. Why must everything be so confusing.

On a brighter note I feel relief. Whether it's from being single, or just having a decision made, I dunno. Sweet relief.

**[Google Search Bar: Define Platonic -enter-]**

_**pla·ton·ic (/pləˈtänik/)**_

_**- Of or associated with the Greek philosopher Plato or his ideas.**_

_**- (of love or friendship) Intimate and affectionate but not sexual.**_

Well Google, I see we have to re-think our relationship too now seeing as though you've been no help today. Platonic my ass. What is going to happen to us?

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**A/N: Thanks for reading, a review would be nice, I'd love some criticism, I haven't written in so long (other than academic papers) so I'm a little nervous it's going to be total shit. ANYWAYS hope you enjoyed it, I will put the next chapter up if the stats show at least one person has read this chapter LOL**

*****If you are reading this chapter for a second time it is because it has been re-uploaded and edited a bit, the whole story so far (6 chapters) is going through a "re-edit".***  
**


	2. Chapter 2

*********If you are reading this chapter for a second time it is because it has been re-uploaded and edited a bit, the whole story so far (6 chapters) is going through a "re-edit".*****

**A/N: I changed my pen name to the one I use on other sites, for uniformity and so I can keep work and fanfiction separate, sorry to confuse anybody :) so this is DrCatAtYourService (formally known as SubtleSTUFF) and I see that at least one person is going to read this after reading the first chapter and that's good enough for me to post the second one! :D**

**So thank you to mayabella33 haha I h****ope you enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Hunger Games, I do however own the intellectual property of this story (the plot and what not)**

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Chapter 2 – Flowers, pyjamas and comfort now available at FreshBuys-BestBuys.

"Hey Prim, I'm home early, where's mum?" I call out into the dirty, cold, cluttered and lifeless house that I call home along with my little sister Prim and our Mother.

"Katniss, why are you home so early on a Sunday? Did something happen between you and Gale? You wouldn't normally come home until after work, which you don't have today," Prim says, walking down the hallway.

"Yea, about that, Gale and I broke up but it's okay. I think. It was mutual, sort of. I guess this means I can take that extra shift at work on Saturday afternoons now." I say attempting to smile, this is all so confusing, I feel like it's right but I'm still confused.

I can however get an extra shift now at work which is a definite bright-side. I work in fruit and veg, on the cash register, in dairy, in the butchery/deli. Anywhere I can get a shift really at the local supermarket FreshBuys-BestBuys. That is actually where I met Gale. Gale is an apprentice Butcher there and we both started working around the time our fathers were killed in the same accident.

Years ago our fathers worked out west in the mines and always commuted to and from District 12 to the camps out there. Most men in District 12 did the commute for their families, if they weren't merchants, job security is hard to find and poverty is rising. People are willing to take any job they can if they know it will mean food on the table for their families each night. When the government (or should I say the capitol) finally realised the situation in District 12, instead of helping us, they advertised the jobs at the mines and built an extra train line so workers could commute out there just often enough to make the work appealing.

Work in the mines itself wasn't safe, it wasn't unsafe though. That wasn't what killed our fathers, however. There was cyclone one year which forced everybody to evacuate the mines for safety reasons. My father and Gales father were one of the last to leave the mines because they were helping everybody else out. They eventually got on the last train and were on their way home.

The cyclone got worse and the train, being the last one, hit the brunt of it.

Lightening struck the train, causing the power to go out. The Train driver couldn't see the fork in the track to turn right to go into district 12, instead he turned left. No radio transmission without power. No lights with out power. Nothing to tell the oncoming train filled with fuel and coal to stop.

The peacekeeper that brought the news the next day told my mother and I, I was 11 at the time, that the train was engulfed in flames so quickly that nobody would have been alive when it actually exploded. As if that would have consoled us, like "hey, so sorry but your loving husband and doting father didn't die in the mines or in an explosion, the roaring flames got him first".

From then on Mum hasn't been around. She spiralled into a depression so deep that the hospital fired her (she was a nurse) and all the life insurance from my father wasn't going to last forever. I didn't know what to do. I paid the bills with dads insurance money but we were almost out, we couldn't afford food and I couldn't work until I was 12 years old. Prim would cry and talk to mum until her voice was hoarse each night, trying anything she could to get her out of bed, to get her to talk, anything.

My 12th birthday was only 3 weeks away, we'd paid the bills for the month but there was no more money left. What we had left I stretched for another week. We were starving. We were going to die. The day I realised this was the same day I had to tailor Prims pants so they wouldn't fall off of her all too bony hips. The day I tried to sell everything I owned to no avail.

The day I learned that not only did that train kill my father that night but it took our mother with it..

One more week and I could start working, I had a job lined up and everything at FreshBuys-BestBuys, the local supermarket. I just had to wait that one week longer. I didn't think we'd make it.

I started looking through the trash after I had nothing left to sell, nobody wanted my old baby clothes or toys. Many men died in that train crash that night, I wasn't the only one struggling to provide for their family, so nobody was buying. There were many women now, single mothers and windows not only selling their possession but their bodies. In hindsight I was lucky that I was young enough to not resort to those measures, if I'd been older when father died it probably would have been a very different story.

Looking through the rubbish behind the bakery, only to find it just been emptied I cried and cried. I stumbled in the rain and collapsed under a tree behind the bakery. That was it, I let Prim down. I let my father down.

I honestly thought things were over, until I heard the back door of the bakery bang open. The old witch was yelling at her youngest son. I looked up just in time to watch her belt him across the face with her wooden spoon. She pushed two burnt loaves of bread into his arms so hard that he was pushed down the steps and out into the rain. I felt bad for him. Everybody in town knew his mother was an abusive bitch, but I couldn't think of that right now, I had no energy left to care about anybody else but Prim.

The boy with the bread looked up at me from his own muddy puddle on the ground, glanced over at the door, and with out looking back at me, threw me the two loaves towards my direction. Shocked and overwhelmed, I crawled over to them. They were burnt but they were still warm, still smelt good and I bet, compared to nothing or boiled mint leaves, tasted good.

At first I didn't think they were for me, was this some kind of joke? I watched him stumble up the stairs and walk back inside before I quickly grabbed the loaves and ran home. I ran as fast as I could, adrenaline and relief soaring through me. Prim would survive, we'd make it one more week.

Those two loaves saved us. That boy gave me hope again, he saved my sisters life and for that I will be forever grateful.

I saw him at school, his face black and blue but I couldn't thank him, I couldn't bring myself to say a single word to him.

So I never did.

It was my first day on the job at FreshBuys-BestBuys when I met Gale, who is two years my senior. My first shift was in the deli, I recognised him from school, we understood each other. We both lost our fathers and were both trying to support our families. He looked out for me and I looked out for him from then on.

We both lived on the poor part of town called the Seam, so when he got his liscence he started driving me to work and home, if I looked after his younger brothers and sisters on the way to and from school.

From then on things looked up, it was a struggle, every minute I wasn't at school or looking after Prim I was working to pay the bills and put food on the table. I don't remember the last time my mum got out of her pyjamas let alone spoke, but I didn't care any more. She abandoned us and things were finally looking up.

"Well that's the thing Katniss, maybe you don't have to take that shift on Saturday, or work so hard in general" Prim interrupts my train of thought, nervously shuffling from side to side. "I was thinking, you know how it's my twelfth birthday in a couple of weeks, well maybe I could-"

"NO, no Prim we've talked about this. Under no circumstances are you going to jeopardise your schooling like I did for a part time job." I said strictly. "There's nothing left at school for me and academia is not in my future, you want to be a doctor, you need straight A's and you need to put your all into School, not providing for us. That's my job and I won't talk about this again."

"But Katniss!" Prim whined, tears starting to pool in her eyes. She's just so sensitive. "You work so hard! I just want to help you, help us, help mum."

"By making sure you become the best doctor you can be you'll be helping mum and I okay? And don't you ever forget it little duck." I smile down at her and give her a hug. I'm too harsh on her sometimes, I'm harsh on everybody, but looking into those deep blue eyes I know she is really only trying to help.

"Okay Katniss, I'll be the best doctor ever and then I can help the people in the district, move from just using plants to real medicine, maybe I could even help mum. You know today she remembered who I was when I fed her soup." Prim tries to be optimistic, she's such a sweet heart, a sweet and naive little girl who despite the hardships we've faced, hasn't changed. I admire her for that.

"That's great Prim!" I try to be enthusiastic.

"I know you don't think so Katniss, she used to be an amazing mother remember? She taught me about plants and taught you how to fix our clothes." Because we couldn't afford medicine and we couldn't afford new clothes.

"yea I know Prim, I'm sorry. I'll try. I'll cut you a deal, never bring up getting a job again and I will try with mum. Did she get out of her pyjamas today?"

"No...I thought she was going to. She got out of bed and opened the drawer, but that was as far as she got before she heard the whistle of the train and collapsed back onto the bed." Prim sighed dejectedly, shoulders slumped staring at the end of her long blonde plait that she was fiddling with.

"I'm sorry little duck. Come on, lets go for a walk to the meadow and get some more flowers, we can put them in your bedroom to lighten it up a bit. We could even put some by mums bed if you like."

"yea! Lets do that. I'm sorry about Gale Katniss, I know you said it was sort of mutual but I'm still sorry. I know I'm young but I'm not stupid, I think you did the right thing." Smiling up at me with those big blue eyes and rosy cheeks. She hugs me and I just can't help but think she's right.

"Thanks little duck, now come on, before it gets dark." I say before heading out down the dirty path to the meadow.

When we get to the meadow we start picking dandelions, not the most glamorous flower but there is rarely anything else blooming in the meadow and I'm not taking Prim out to the woods again. Prim almost has a whole bouquet and is watching a butterfly when I wander off a little bit to try and find a particular flower, a primrose to give to prim, it would cheer her up because she would think it would look lovely in mum's hair.

I finally find one, the last one on the bush when somebody else grabs it first.

"Hey! I was about to take that." I exclaim before looking up into the all too familiar blue eyes of the boy with the bread.

"oh, I'm sorry, I need to sketch it." sketch? he looks down at his book and charcoal stick in his hands, as if to prove he isn't lying. "How about you sit with me while I sketch it, then you can have it and give it to your sister. I assume that's who it's for given the name of the flower." how does he know my sisters name?

"well, yea it is for her and it's getting dark soon so I don't want to be long, why do you need to sketch it anyway?" I ask suspiciously.

"I decorate the cakes at the bakery and somebody wanted a sugar primrose on their wedding cake. I must be able to sketch one if I want to frost one." the boy decorates those cakes? They're amazing. Before I can tell him to forget about it Prim bounces up beside me.

"You decorate the cakes! I love looking at the cakes, we could never afford to buy one or anything and normally your mum kicks us out of the bakery because we are from the seam but Katniss always takes me past the window so I can see them. Will there really be one with a primrose on it?" Prim excitedly chats away.

"Prim!" I scold, ready to pull her away right then and there. She looks down realising what she said, she knows better than to talk about our funds and the seam like that. Especially to a merchant boy.

"no it's okay, I understand. My mum is really, narrow minded." The boy says glancing at me quickly. "Yea I decorate them all, how about I draw two prim roses. I know your sister was going to give you this one but if you come by the bakery tomorrow afternoon, I'll give you a drawing for you to keep, how does that sound?" The boy with the bread smiles down at her, while I just scowl. Why is he being so nice? Merchants aren't nice to seam girls, and the ones who are have an Agenda.

"Sorry but we can't, we have to go straight home tomorrow-" Prim interrupts my attempt to lie.

"no we don't Katniss! You don't start work until 4 tomorrow. Okay, we'd love to. My name is Primrose Everdeen by the way and this grumpy bum is my older sister Katniss." she smiles up at the boy, everybody loves Prim and I can see this situation will be no exception.

"I'm Peeta Mellark, nice to meet you both." Peeta smiles at us both before walking off. I stare at him until he is totally out of sight. He seems genuinely nice but why? He certainly wouldn't be using prim to get to me the same way other merchant boys treat girls from the seam. People from school are afraid of me and with good reason. Guys don't want from me, what they expect from other seam girls. The ones who are desperate enough to sell their bodies.

"He seems nice Katniss, talented too, those cakes are so pretty!" Prim gushes, she gushes all the way home about Peeta and his cakes. When we get home she gushes to mum while feeding her dinner. I just scowl. I always scowl though.

Maybe Gale knows about this guy Peeta and what his intentions are.

I'll call him.

"Hello, Katniss?" Gale answers in a whisper, after barely one ring.

"Yea, it's me, Gale why are you whispering? I didn't think you were working now." For a matter-of-fact I know he isn't working.

"No, no I'm not. I'm with Delly Cartwright." Delly? is he on date? Is that why he's whispering? he doesn't want Delly to know I'm on the phone? But Delly of all people? What the hell? No, we're not together any more, it doesn't matter but Delly...really? She's gorgeous and insanely nice to everybody. Gale couldn't have made a bigger leap from my grumpy, guarded self to her. This annoys me but I don't know why. "I found Delly on my way home from work, she was in the gutter crying, her boyfriend just dumped her."

Oh. well I feel stupid now.

"oh, ok. Why are you whispering though?" I ask sceptically.

"She cried herself to sleep in my lap, poor thing, I'll get that Mellark boy for leading her on like this." MELLARK!

"Peeta Mellark?" I shout before I can think about what I'm doing.

"NO- no, his brother Rye. Told her he was sorry but he just couldn't do it any more, didn't even explain why! They'd been together for years and he just leaves her, just like that." he sighs. I didn't know he was that close to Delly?

"Oh, okay, well I hope she's alright. I can call you back later if you want?" I look over to Prim still talking to mum about Peeta's cakes. She's looking at me though, Mum that is. She looks aware too.

"no, it's okay, what's up?"

"oh. Um Peeta Mellark talked to Prim and I today at the meadow and was...Especially nice. You know why merchant boys are nice to seam girls and I thought maybe you knew anything about him? He was talking to Prim and told us to go by the bakery tomorrow afternoon." before I can talk further though I hear him laughing, laughing so hard he's probably 'rofl-ing'.

"Whats so funny?" I say feeling agitated.

"Peeta Mellark, is probably the nicest guy on the planet. Besides, everybody loves Prim, I don't think there is a problem. Lighten up a bit, now I gotta go because Delly just woke up. See you tomorrow." Gale laughs while he hangs up.

UGH, it's not funny, I have every right to be sceptical of merchant boys. Any boys. Especially that boy, the boy with the bread. If it weren't for him Prim would be dead, I would be dead. Does he want me to repay that debt? How can I repay that debt? I'd need to save his life and more to repay my debt to him. Is that why he did it in the first place? 'good deed of the day, save the seem brat and she'll have to pay you back'. I can feel my anger starting to boil again, no. I know, I'm not being fair to him.

"Mellark?" A raspy voice catches my attention.

"Yes mum, I'm telling you about Peeta Mellark, the bakers son!" Prim shouts getting excited. she looks over to me and waves me over.

I can't believe it. This is the most mum has said in almost a year!

"Mum, what do you know about the Mellarks?" Prim asks. I just stare, I can't break her gaze. Her blue eyes that are so much like Prims, so much like Peetas, holding onto my dull grey eyes that are so much like my fathers.

"I knew the baker once." She sighs and with that she breaks my gaze and rolls over in bed to face the wall. Her back to mine and my sisters stunned looks.

"Katniss, she talked. Mum's getting better!" Prim whispers excitedly. I merely sigh.

"Don't get your hopes up Prim, she's gone back before, now come on little duck you better get into bed." I smile a sad smile down at her, leading her up the stairs to the room we share. I help her get ready for bed, tuck her in and just before I turn the light out she says.

"I like Peeta Katniss, I can't wait for tomorrow." With that I sigh, turn out the light and make my way to my own bed.

Tomorrow...Tomorrow will be something.

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**A/N: I hope you guys liked that, I'm really not good at writing dialogue but I'm working on it so criticism on that in particular is especially welcomed, I would be happy with any reviews though haha I'm also working on not having my internal monologues go on for paragraphs but I like the developement of characters, relationships and behavior rather than just the actions. I am a psychology student so what would you expect lol :)**

**BTW**

**I've read many modern day AU's for the hunger games where the characters lives and personalities mirror that in the book, even if they don't make sense like katniss being the captain of the archery team, shooting squirrels to sell and then getting into a car to drive to a nice school and all of a sudden there's no hardship...? Other things like that... So I really want to focus on the concepts and the general results of particular incidents in the book and reflect them in my story like with how Katniss' father dies for example. It wouldn't make much sense in a modern day AU for him to die the way he did in THGs and there needed to be some other kind of reason for their poverty given that in this story there are no hunger games and what not...if you don't agree with me than review and we can share opinions :D Playing devils advocate here, I didn't change the bread scene much becuase I felt that it was a pretty pivotal scene in the book in regards to Katniss and Peeta's relationship so I didn't want to change it too much :)**

**ALSO**

**I know Gale and Katniss' relationship is quite different to that in the book and I did this on purpose because A) I really dislike some of Gales behaviour and the potential behaviour that would follow with some exploration and character developement. AND B) his and Katniss' relationship reflects my relationship with my best friend/ex boyfriend and it is a bit of therapy to write about it and it just so happens to fit exactly in the story the way I wanted. BUT I in no way think of myself as Katniss, I'm personally a bit of a mix between Katniss, Peeta, Finnick and Cinna personality-wise LOL**

**ANYWAYS enough of my rambling, not all of my Authors Notes will be this long.**

**I hope you ejoyed and the same applies to the last chapter, if I see that anybody even read this chapter than I'll post the third one :) if you have any ideas, complaints or criticisms about my writing, plot or perspective on the characters than please review if you want to :D**

*********If you are reading this chapter for a second time it is because it has been re-uploaded and edited a bit, the whole story so far (6 chapters) is going through a "re-edit".*****


	3. Chapter 3

*********If you are reading this chapter for a second time it is because it has been re-uploaded and edited a bit, the whole story so far (6 chapters) is going through a "re-edit".*****

**A/N: Thank you so much to tilyteapot, Torygirl, Perdita4321, devinwylie, sarah1018, teampeeta4eva, LeslieMellark and FictionFanatic22 for expressing interest in my story :) and thank you to the extra people the stats tell me have read my story so far.**

**To whom ever reads this, thank you and I hope you enjoy and sorry for all the mistakes, it's 12:10am haha**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Hunger Games, I do however own the ****intellectual property of this story (the plot and what not)**

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Chapter 3 – Now on sale: Complicated Relationships in a bottle! Buy two and get a free box of awkward.

_**[Google Search Bar: how do you stop a night terror? -enter-]**_

_**"There are many different schools of thought on preventing or stopping night terrors. The general rule of thumb is to make sure that when they happen, you and the person experiencing the night terror are safe. If you or your child suffers from sleep terrors, you can try the following before bed: Unwind before sleep, Cool body heat, Play Music, Take Herbal Remedies and/or Essential Oils."**_

UGH! Always the same responses, it's either know it all bloggers, neurotic mothers or crazy preachers posting comments like_**"everybody's different"**_,_**"depends on the root of the terror", "Your child is possessed by a demon!"**_.

Night terrors are different to nightmares. A nightmare is a scary dream which happens in one of the REM stages of sleep, just like a normal dream. A nightmare is nothing but a scary, movie-like dream.

A night terror though, is a phenomenon that occurs in the non-REM sleep where your body becomes half awake-half asleep in a terror induced hell accompanied by hallucinations and physiological responses. Many people, so they say, don't remember what happens during their night terrors, but I do.

I've been having Night terrors since my father died. Every so often I would wake up in the middle of the night screaming blue murder until my voice was hoarse. Once I was thrashing around in my sleep so much that I broke a rib. Sometimes, I get up and start running, like I am running away from the flames trying to engulf me in my hallucinations, or running towards the flames, to my father.

I'm plagued by nightmares and night terrors, what little sleep I do get, terrifies me to the core, not from the dreams, but for Prim. She's so small, when one of my bad terrors happens she can't keep me, herself and mum safe. When I have a particularly bad night terror that can last for 20 minutes.

So that's why I now find myself here, on the computer at 3am researching about night terrors, hoping that somebody, somewhere has made any kind of breakthrough.

No such luck tonight.

Considering I don't sleep, I should get some shifts at work doing night fill, then we could afford to throw Prim a birthday party.

Prim doesn't want one though. She says as long as we're happy and together, along with the Hawthornes, then why would she need a party. I know what she's saying is true, but I also know that if she were to get a birthday cake on her birthday, which Prim would never ask for, she would just about erupt in delight.

After all this deep thought, it's only 3:13am. I should get off the internet now, we don't have much bandwidth and I know Prim has homework to do later, it's not like I need the internet for anything anyway.

My friend, my only girl friend, Madge made me a facebook account once. That was the one and only time I ever looked at it. If I even did want to talk to people and have friends, then I damn well wasn't going to do it over the internet.

Now it's 3.16am, maybe I should try and get some sleep again.

"Katniss! Katniss! Wake up, we're going to be late for school, we slept in!" Prim shouts at me, violently pulling off my doona.

"oh shit! Come on, lets go meet the Hawthornes before Gale murders me for being late!" I shout in a rush, quickly pulling on clothes and packing my bag.

Personal Hygiene will have to wait for another day, it's not like anybody will notice whether or not my hair is brushed or my breath is fresh.

We just make it to Gales in time to watch him hurry off to work.

"oh Rory you won't believe it! Katniss and I were invited to the bakery this afternoon to look at the cakes, you know the pretty ones? Peeta Mellark decorates them! aren't they gorgeous? He's going to draw me a picture of a primrose. I've already cleared a space on my wall to put it up because it will obviously be amazing! I mean it's by Peeta!" I watch Prim gush to Rory, one of Gales younger siblings. Poor Rory. He has it bad for Prim, but here she is gushing about the bakers son.

Prim runs to catch up to Posy so I nudge Rory in the side and say "don't worry buddy, she'll come around." Rory just looks up at me and sighs.

"That's what we used to say to Gale about you, but now you two have broken up. Delly stayed with us last night you know, is that why you guys broke up?" Delly stayed over at the Hawthornes last night?

"Do you know why she stayed?" I ask Rory tentatively. He's like Prim. Twelve, but not stupid.

"Yea, her and her boyfriend broke up. Now she has no where to live so mum being her godmother and all let her stay the night. Remember both her parents died on the train that...yea... and her older sister moved to District 2 with that guy when Delly moved out." I really shouldn't be so mean to Delly, well in my thoughts at least. She's had it tough too. What ever happened between her and Rye? I thought they were the closest thing to the perfect couple.

I don't really feel comfortable about her staying the night with Gale though. It's stupid I know but she's just so...perfect. This is so bitchy but I don't like the idea of Gale being with somebody so perfect after me, plain old grumpy me with the grey eyes, too skinny figure and long messy hair.

"That's sad. She'll be okay though." I try to smile and wave it all off as nothing. He isn't stupid but he's still only twelve. Some things he doesn't need to know yet.

We finally make it to school after quite a long walk filled with too many awkward silences to go unnoticed.

"oh and Katniss! Remember mum is picking us up today, so you don't need to wait for us. See ya!" Rory shouts before running off after Prim through the primary school gates. How could I forget. Every monday straight after school I get an hour and a half to my self. Now it will be filled with Peeta Mellark.

"hey Katniss" A timid voice from behind me says.

"Delly? Hi, um, are you okay?" She looks like she's been crying but other than that she looks fine. Bitch. Ugh stop it Katniss what's wrong with you, you are not with Gale, build a bridge and get over it.

"Yea. Well no. I will be. I know you and Gale broke up but I still wanted to apologise to you now for staying at his house last night, before word got out. I also, um, wanted to know if you knew when he finished work today?" To say this conversation is awkward is an understatement. Did I think those things before too loudly? I feel like she knows what I'm thinking. Come on Katniss be nice. You can do it.

"um yea, he finishes when I finish tonight at 8." I try to smile at her reassuringly but I'm pretty sure it just came out like a creepy get-in-my-van smile. Nice, nice, nice I can do nice.

"oh ok, thanks. Katniss, are you sure it's okay I'm staying with Gale?" Delly asks me, she looks so fragile, I remember her being super bubbly, nice and just stunning. Now, now she looks broken.

"yea it's no big deal, Gale and I, it was mutual. I didn't know you guys were such good friends."

"we arent really, I was actually looking for Peeta Mellark, you know, the bakers son, when Gale found me. I really should talk to Peeta but I'm afraid he'll ditch me like his brother did!" at that note Delly flung her hysterically crying self into my arms. Me. Katniss Everdeen. The girl who could give grouch a run for his money. This is why you don't bother with love, it ends like this.

"It will be okay Delly" I awkwardly pat her back. Just be nice, only for a little longer.

"No it won't, Peeta is my oldest friend and now I've ruined it over some stupid relationship that was so obvious to everybody but me that it was going no where! Why couldn't he just tell me Katniss?" Delly sobs into my shoulder. People are starting to stare now. Oh man this is awkward. This is precisely why I don't have friends! At least girl friends! I think if gale were to do this to me I would be getting whole other kind of attention. This is what being nice gets you!

"ssh Delly, you need to calm down. Okay, I'm seeing Peeta this afternoon. Do you want me to see what I can find out and tell him that you don't hate him?" Oh man, I wasn't meant to be that nice. Katniss what have you done. Delly's face splits open into a radiant smile, she couldn't radiate more joy unless she sweat it.

"oh you would do that for me Katniss? Thank you! Thank you so much, I have to go to class now, from now on I won't believe anything people say about you Katniss!" And with that she runs off in the direction I should be going. I know she wasn't trying to be mean but ouch, thanks Delly.

So, no going back now I REALLY have to face Peeta.

I don't think today could have gone any faster. Obviously because I'm dreading going to the bakery, my school day wouldn't be it's usual boring self. No, it was actually a really good day and went by in the blink of an eye. Oh cruel world, what fate has thee bestowed upon me.

I see Prim with her back to me, waiting at our usual spot under the tree.

Quietly I sneak up to her, tuck in her shirt from behind and poke her.

"Hey little duck, how was your d-"

"Katniss! Don't call me that in front of Peeta, god you're so embarrassing." Prim swats me away, blushing and fiddling with her shirt, successfully pulling it out again. I look up and low and behold, there's Peeta casually leaning against the tree with his arms crossed.

"Hi Katniss, how are you?" Peeta grins that stupid grin of his. So bright and never leaves his face. Ugh it annoys me. Maybe if I think loud enough he'll know what I'm thinking like Delly did.

"yea what ever, I thought we were going to meet at the bakery but lets get this over with." I mumble and walk ahead passing Prims glare. I glance behind me at Peeta, who's talking to Prim about god knows what, and I can't help but remember what I promised Delly.

In what feels like 5 minutes we're at the bakery. Last time I was here with Prim the old witch. Sorry, Peetas mother just about shoved us out the door shouting insults at our backs. Prim forgets and forgives but I don't.

"Peeta! Wait, is your mum here now?" I stop Peeta just before he opens the back door to the bakery.

"What? No she rarely shows up for afternoon shifts now, no need to worry." I look at him sceptically before he continues "really, now come inside, I'll show you guys the cake, give prim the drawing and then you can leave okay?" I can see I've slightly aggravated the Infallible Peeta.

Good.

"Okay." I resign before stepping inside.

The smell of bread, sweat, sugar and just plain heat hits me all at once. The back parts of bakeries do NOT smell as good as literature makes out. It feels like it's 45 degrees **(A/N: I'm Australian, it's Celsius, deal with it mate)** the smell of yeast fermenting sticks to everything and what do you do when you're working hard in the heat? You sweat. I know these smells well from having to clean up the baked goods section at FreshBuys-BestBuys but it's nothing compared to this.

Peeta walks over to a large metal door which could only lead to what I presume to be the fridge.

"Come inside, it's cool in here and this is where the cake is." Peeta says to Prim and I, ushering us in before I can object.

The room is huge, bigger than the liquor walk in fridges at work! And they're huge, they need to be to hold all the liquor the town drunk Haymitch Abernathy buys.

"wow Peeta, it looks amazing!" I turn my head to see Prim gushing over a cake. She's right, it is amazing. Simple 2 tier, square cake with sleek creamy coloured icing coating it. On top of that is pale yellow and pale pink intricate piping, decorating the entire surface before gathering at the top to surround the beautiful yellow, sugar, Primrose. It's truly the most beautiful cake I've seen, so simply yet a piece of art. It feels too girly for somebody like Peeta to have made. Maybe Gale thought my questions the other night were so funny because Peeta is gay.

Oh my god. Is Peeta gay? I've got nothing against homosexuals at all. To each his own I say. That would explain why I've never seen him have a girlfriend (so I may have kept some tabs on him after the bread incident) or date at all really. That explains why he always looks so manicured, dresses well, speaks well, draws flowers and decorates beautifully feminine cakes! Peeta Mellark is so gay!

It's probably double standards at play now but after this revelation, I don't feel so much resentment towards Mr Mellark over here.

"She's right that looks gorgeous Peeta." I smile in awe. Peeta looks up at me, those blue eyes so much like Prim and My mums, boring into mine searching for something genuine, surrounded by long blonde lashes perfectly separated. Yup, totally gay. Nobody that nice, good looking and talented could be straight.

"Thanks." Peeta smiles his biggest, proudest smile yet. "And here Prim, here's the picture of a Primrose I told you I'd give you." He reaches over behind a shelf and hands Prim a piece of thick paper.

When Prim gasps I look down at the drawing. It's not just of a Primrose, it's of Prim smelling a primrose with a content smile on her face.

"Oh my gosh Peeta this is. Just. Wow! I wasn't expecting this, thank you so much! I need to go show Rory and Posy! they will love it!" Prim squeals. After giving Peeta an unexpected hug she goes bolting out the door. I trust her to make her way to the Hawthornes okay. I think.

"Thank you for that Peeta, you just made her month. I normally wouldn't let her accept gifts but it's her birthday next week. I just want her to be happy." I walk out of the freezer with Peeta and we walk back out of the bakery into the sun.

"It's okay, I'm happy to do it. She's quite a little sweet heart and she deserves it." Peeta smiles at me.

"Yea she is, everybody loves Prim and it looks like she has really taken a liking to you" I laugh at the slight pinch of colour that goes into his cheeks.

"I saw you with Delly this morning. Is. Is she okay?" Peeta tentatively asks me. Here we go.

"um yea. No. She stayed with Gale last night. She wanted to talk to you but she was afraid you would hate her like Rhy does-" Peeta interrupts

"I wouldn't! and Rhy doesn't hate her either! It's just...complicated" he sighs.

"Look, it's none of my business, I'm not even friends with Delly she just kind of stealth bombed me with it all. I only knew she was with Gale last night because I called him and...she was there with him." now I sigh. Things are complicated for everybody.

Peeta looks at his feet, awkwardly fiddling with his hands. I glance at his watch and read that it's 3:45. Shit!

"oh gosh, I gotta run, I have work in 15 minutes!" I start to turn away when he grabs my arm.

"Wait, I gotta get groceries for dinner anyway, I'll drive you." I look up at him, towards his grip on my arm than back to his face. Why not, it's better than being late and I can't afford to get fired.

"Sure. I- I don't see why not. Thanks."

The drive to FreshBuys-BestBuys is silent. An Awkward silence. Don't get me wrong, Peeta is apparently a good conversationalist but I have too much on my mind.

When we get there, I hop straight out of the car, thank Peeta and go to make my way inside when I see Gale standing in the doorway. He looks from Peeta to me, than back to Peeta, than back to me questioningly.

"Gale! Hey, Peeta gave me a lift, remember I told you I was meeting him with Prim on the phone last night. When you were with Delly..." I try to cover up my immediate defensiveness.

Gale is alternating between looking at me confused and glaring at Peeta. I glance over at Peeta who is carefully watching me watch them both.

"It doesn't matter to me who drives you to work." Gale announces before stomping off.

I turn around and thank Peeta for the ride before running into the workers lounge to get dressed.

Did that really just happen outside? Could Gale actually be jealous?

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**A/N: SO another chapter completed when I really should have been studying for the exam that I have tomorrow...and nobody is going to be nice enough to review, to show me that they appreciate me risking failing uni for the sake of their enjoyment.**

**What do you think of Peeta being "Gay"? hmmmmm it's all a part of my master plan for him mwahaha XD**

**ANYWAYS I would REALLY love to know what any of you thought...? :D I would like to say I won't post the next chapter until somebody, at least one person reviews...but that would be lie because I probably would anyways lol I know I keep jumping from serious Katniss to humorous Katniss but there is a reason for this for which you will have to wait to find out :D**

**Hope you all enjoyed :)**

*********If you are reading this chapter for a second time it is because it has been re-uploaded and edited a bit, the whole story so far (6 chapters) is going through a "re-edit".*****


	4. Chapter 4

*********If you are reading this chapter for a second time it is because it has been re-uploaded and edited a bit, the whole story so far (6 chapters) is going through a "re-edit".*****

**A/N: I'm so so so so sorry for the late update! And that its kind of just a shitter filler chapter too :|Things have been hectic in my world outside of the internet haha. Anyways thanks to mpgngirl17 and BleedtoLoveHer for subscribing and to the reviewers!**

**To FictionFanatic22: **I sent you a pm anyways but I can't wait for you to read Peetas reaction!.** To teampeeta4ever: **Thanks! I thought to myself, if I was katniss in this day and age and met a handsome, nice, gentleman who was rescpectful, was assumingly well manicured, drew flowers and baked I would assume he was gay hahaha**and to my anonymous reviewer, I see a trend in interest as to why Peeta is gay, if you too are interested, subscribe and see what happens ;) ;) ;)**

**SO even though this is not the best chapter and there are probably heaps of mistakes considering it's 12:11am! I hope you guys enjoy :) if you do LET ME KNOW criticism (and compliments c;) are always welcome.**

******Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Hunger Games, I do however own the ****intellectual property of this story (the plot and what not)**

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Chapter 4 - Insomniac Predators

That was probably one of the worst shifts of my life! Or at least the most awkward. I was on the cash register at the Deli/Butcher check out with Gale all night long. After that scene outside I didn't want to have to deal with Gale. The entire shift he simply stood there in silence, didn't even bother to look at me when he handed me something.

I'm in the work lounge packing my things back into my bag. Gale will understand about Peeta though when I tell him Peeta is gay, I mean he can't be mad about me having friends.

No, actually, he shouldn't be mad at all! We're not even together. I don't mind about him and Delly, even though they're just...Friends.

Ugh, why does this have to be so complicated? In theory it wasn't complicated at all, but in reality, when feelings are involved. I just didn't think it would be like this between us. I didn't really know what I expected to happen honestly.

"So that's why you wanted to know about Mellark last night hmm? You dating him now? Is that why you suggested we break up then?" Gale suddenly barges through the door of the lounge throwing around accusations. "You wanted to know if Peeta was a player not for Prims sake but whether or not he was a good choice to date? or are you just fucking him? is that it? Is he better than me Katniss? Do you feel good being with a Merchant boy?" Gale glares at me like I'm a mangy stray he wouldn't let in the house at night.

How in the hell could he jump from seeing Peeta give me a lift to work, to fucking him? What is wrong with him? He knows me better than that!

"Excuse me? I could ask the same thing about you and Delly! She slept at your house last night! You tried to brush off your best friend last night for her! Someone you don't, apparently, know that well and you're accusing me of something with the bakers kid?" I shout, violently packing my casual clothes into my bag.

I'm afraid to look up at him, he's not going to see me shed a single tear whether they're angry tears, hurt tears or... very very angry tears.

"There is no way I could ever be with Peeta like that. He gave me a lift to work because I was talking to him for Delly. YOUR friend who I was trying to help because she's YOUR friend." I turn around to jam my finger aggressively at his chest to emphasise my point. Instead, he grabs my wrist and pulls me forcefully onto his lips. We kiss hard and he slams me roughly, much too roughly, into the un-plastered brick wall.

The sudden pain startles me and brings me back to reality. What am I doing? more importantly what is Gale doing?

"Fuck! What the hell Gale? We're not together any more, you can't just do things like this! Play with my emotions like that!"

"That's not how you felt Saturday afternoon when you were fucking me and you certainly didn't when you were sucking my-" At that note I slap him so hard he takes a step back. How dare he!

When was Gale ever this mean? when did he become such a douche bag? when did he treat women like this?.

"I'm sorry Katniss, I didn't mean-"

"NO," I interrupt him, "You did mean it and you know what, screw you!" I shove him, hard, out of the way and storm out of the lounge, through the store. When I reach the front door I sprint, as fast as I can. It's late, so nobody should be at the meadow, I don't need Prim seeing me like this.

By the time I get to the big tree in the meadow tears are streaming down my face so hard I can barely see. I can't believe Gale. He was always that guy who was so nice and caring, always so protective and loving.

Sobs are now racking my body, they're coming so hard and so loud. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I jump in pain. Just how hard did Gale push me into the wall when we were kissing? Terrified it might be Gale coming after me for god knows what reason. I grab the unwelcome hand, pull as hard as I can and pin him to the ground sitting on his stomach.

It wasn't Gales hand though.

"Ow! What the- katniss is that you? I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you! I'm not a rapist or anything I just heard somebody crying and came to see if they- you were okay!" Peeta's shouts are muffled because my hand is pushing his face into the ground.

"What are you doing out here? Did you follow me? Change your mind on paying you for the drawing? Rape was a strange conclusion to jump to!"

"What? NO! Katniss, I'm sorry I understand why you're so hostile and I'm sorry, please." I know I'm being irrational, and stupid, and jumping to all the wrong conclusions. Gale really scared me, I don't know why, it's not like we never kissed roughly before if you get my drift, it's just...I don't know. I'm confused about my feelings but I know for sure that what happened with Gale is certainly what I don't want.

Rape.

It wasn't a weird leap at all for Peeta to make, rape is really quite common in District 12. Too common. Along with domestic violence. Maybe that's why I'm so frazzled, what if deep down I thought Gale would...

"Katniss please, I'm really sorry, I had no intentions of ever doing anything like that. Ever, to anybody." Looking down at Peeta I blush realising I'm straddling him.

Cautiously I slide off of of his stomach and quickly crawl back into a sitting position in front of the tree.

"I'm sorry Peeta, you just. Gave me a fright, that's all." I look away ashamed that he of all people saw me crying and more ashamed that I reacted by pinning him in the dirt when he was just trying to comfort me.

"It's okay Katniss, I should have announced my presence earlier. Are you- Are you alright? I just. When I touched your shoulder, well, there was blood."

Blood? I mean yea my shoulder blade is hurting but Gale didn't push me that hard did he? I mean it was in the heat of the moment, and it was a brick wall. I look up at Peetas face and his big blue eyes are so full of concern. Concern for somebody he doesn't even know. Why? Did he see what Gale did? And then follow me? I can feel the panic rising to the surface again.

"What are you doing out here?" I glare at him.

"I can't sleep sometimes, a lot. Actually I really don't get much sleep at all so I come out here and draw." He says sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. I look at the ground a few metres away and see a pencil and sketch pad open to a half drawn, now dirty, picture of a rose. Well I feel like a right bitch.

I can't believe I thought Peeta was sexual predator, or a predator of any kind at all! He's gay after all, not that gay people don't offend or anything, but he bakes cakes... He's a sensitive boy.

"Sorry Peeta, oh gosh I'm so sorry. You just. You gave me a fright and-"

"-No I'm sorry Katniss and if you don't want to tell me how you hurt your back, I don't mind. Just. I don't want to see you crying or hurt."

"Its ok Peeta, honestly. I come out here at night too, I'm on my way home from work, but I never see you here?"

"you wouldn't be out here at the time I am." Peeta smiles.

"You'd be surprised" I smile at Peeta. You can't help but smile at him, his whole face lights up when he smiles. I slowly start getting up, I need to get home to Prim.

"Well I gotta go, Prim is probably worried sick about me. See ya Peeta"

"- Wait Katniss, if that. If your back is like that because of. Because of Gale. Because he saw me with you I'm...I'm really truly sorry." Peeta says, looking down at me almost with tears in his eyes. I turn around to leave but he touches my arm and I flinch."I really am Katniss." I look up into his big blue eyes full of concern and unwarranted remorse.

"He's really not like that Peeta. He would never, intentionally hurt me. Really." I sigh, it's true. Gale isn't a bad guy. Tonight, was some kind of weird anomaly.

"Katniss this is serious, you know how many women are-"

"look it's not like that Peeta! honestly, it was a one time thing and it wasn't even...THAT...we're not even together any more." ugh why am I telling him all this

"oh...OH...oh is that why you were upset?"

"uh...no...sorta. Look I don't know you and I'd rather not talk about it." I snap harshly. Why I was crying was none of his damn business.

"ok, I'm sorry Katniss, what ever is going on with you and Gale is your business. You're right, we don't know each other, but I'd like to get to know you. If you'd let me that is" what is wrong with this boy?

"It's not easy." At that, I walk off.

Prim is probably worried sick, god knows how late I am already. Gosh when did things get so confusing and just plain weird? the gay bakers son wanting to befriend me? Delly Cartwright thinking I'm, nice. Gale being...just...not Gale-like.

When I graduate next year things are going to be different. I will work full time and be able to support Prim and my mother properly. I won't have to worry about boy problems because they really, in the grand scheme of things, shouldn't be so important and consuming.

Everything will get so much better when I graduate, then once Prim finally graduates hopefully I'll have enough money saved up to send her to college to be a doctor, maybe even enough money for me to move wherever she goes too. If only.

I finally make it home and Prim is a little hysteric.

"You're so late! I was getting really worried Katniss! You know what it's like out there at night! Are you okay? What took you so long?" Prim bombards me with worried questions.

"It's okay Prim, I'm fine, no need to stress I just ran into Peeta on my way home." I'm not lying. I did run into Peeta on my way home. At the mention of Peetas name Prims whole demeanour changes.

"Oh my gosh really? what did he say? did he invite us to the bakery again? what was he doing outside at night?" Prim smiles so bright you'd think I just told her she was invited to tea with Santa Clause, the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy.

I just laugh.

"Prim, chill, you need to go to bed. You know you might see him tomorrow," she might, I don't know that. "and tomorrow will come faster if you go to sleep sooner." Without a second thought Prim races upstairs into our room.

Crisis averted I sit on the end of the couch where my mum is lying. Looks like she moved today. Still in her pyjamas though.

"Peeta. Peeta Mellark. His father is a kind man"

I look down at my mother to find she's looking straight at me, her eyes bright with clarity. Clarity I haven't seen for a long time.

"Did you know Mr Mellark Mum?" I ask cautiously, afraid anything to abrupt might frighten her back into oblivion.

"yes. We were together when I met your father. He never begrudged me or your father though, that's the kind of man he was, he was happy that I was happy. Good night Katniss" My mother stumbles and slowly walks to her room.

Holy crap! What a bombshell. I wonder what Dad did to win her over? I wonder if Peeta knows this. It would explain why his mother is so bitter, knowing she wasn't first choice, ouch.

I'm making assumptions though and it's already 11:00pm, I guess I should try and get some sleep.

Look at that, it's 3:00am, how unusual to be awake at this time in the morning. UGH

_**[Google Search Bar: Define Insomnia -enter-]**_

_**"is a condition characterised by difficulty falling asleep and remaining asleep."**_

No doubt I've got it, probably from Stress and my night terrors/night mares. Does Peeta have it too maybe? He said I wouldn't be at the meadow at the times he is. What if I am? He's a merchant boy what could possibly stress him out.

_**[Google Search Bar: What causes Insomnia -enter-]**_

_**"Insomnia can be caused by physical factors as well as psychological factors. Causes of insomnia include:**_

_**Drugs/Alcohol/medicines," **_well I highly doubt he's on any of those.

_**"disruption in circadian rhythm," **_I know he doesn't have jet lag or anything.

_**"psychological issues," **_very likely, but what? It shouldn't matter to me, it's not like we're friends.

_**"medical conditions," **_oh...I hope he isn't sick, I really really hope he isn't sick. He's so nice and all.

_**"hormones and other factors."**_

hmm...well I'm not a doctor, so why am I even trying to diagnose somebody, somebody I don't even know at 3:40am.

Ugh there is something weird about Peeta Mellark, something strange. He's too nice and I can't seem to get him out of my head. I will figure it out, maybe having him as a friend won't be so bad, he's gay so it's not like anything romantic will happen so I guess it's okay.

maybe.

hmm... We'll see.

* * *

**A/N: Again sorry for that crappy chapter and for the late post! Thank you to who ever has read this far and I will try really hard to not leave updates too long! the more reviews and subscriptions I get, hell the more visitors I get alone will motivate me and the faster a chapter will come up :) I know people are interested in the whole Peeta Mellark gay thing so if you are, TALK TO ME ABOUT IT! :D :D :D I cannot stress that enough lol BTW I'd just like to mention that I know my writing isn't very good, I haven't done it in a long long time so when I finish this story I will go back and through this and basically re-write it because I have plans for the plot and character development so please don't punish the STORY because of the WRITING...if that makes sense... :) ANYWAYS**

**thanks for reading! XD**

*****If you are reading this chapter for a second time it is because it has been re-uploaded and edited a bit, the whole story so far (6 chapters) is going through a "re-edit".*****


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys, I re-edited the first 5 chapters of the story. When I went over chapter 5 I realised I'd been so focuses on updating that I didn't follow my story planner and just...basically did what I do when I play The Sims which is where I find some way to distract the other characters so I can focus on my favourite ones. So I decided to review everything but in particular finish this chapter the way it should have been done. **

**To the people who already read this chapter, don't worry, the last 1000 words is still the exactly the same, this just fills in the gaps from chapter 4 to now :))**

**Anyways! I hope you guys enjoy, hopefully I'm on a roll and I have chapter 6 up soon-ish too. Quick Question though: would you guys prefer I write shorter chapters and update sooner, or longer chapters similar to this and take a little bit longer to update?**

******Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Hunger Games, I do however own the intellectual property of this story (the plot and what not)**

* * *

Chapter 5 – Weird, Weirder and Weirdest (Part 1)

So it's Tuesday morning and Prim and I are walking to the Hawthornes now. I really don't want to face Gale but I know I have to.

"Wasn't this morning so great Katniss?" Prim says bouncing around in front of me on the pathway.

"Yea little duck, it actually was but be careful, you're next to a road remember!"

This morning was kind of amazing. We woke up earlier than normal because we could hear the shower running. It was mum. She got out of her pyjamas and was having a shower. Prim and I were so shocked, we just went straight down stairs and had breakfast. Out of wishful thinking Prim set a place for mum to sit and to both of our surprise, she came, sat and ate with us.

She didn't say anything all morning but when we finished breakfast she just started cleaning. Cleaning up breakfast, than the whole kitchen and I would bet my left foot that when I get home tonight I'll either find mum in bed looking worse than ever, or mum still busy cleaning the entire house.

She's had a turn like this once before but quickly reverted.

"Katniss do you think it will stick this time? With Mum I mean?" Prim asks me hopefully, just before we get with in earshot of the Hawthorne children waiting for us at the front of their house.

"I hope so Prim, I really do, you deserve to have your mother back, a proper one." I smile down at her putting my arm around her.

"So do you Kat, so do you." Prim squeezed me tighter before running up to Rory. It's moments like these that I'm so grateful I got that job when I did. That I still have Prim in my life. Thanks to the boy with the bread that is.

I see Delly waiting with the kids too, no doubt planning to walk to school with us. She waves at Gale before starting to walk with everybody and Gale comes towards me.

"Look Katniss, about last night-"

"Save it Gale," I interrupt. "I don't want to hear any excuses. You were jealous, you said what you said. Let's just forget about it and move on." The shock is very evident in his features.

"Oh. Ok that's great then, I'll see you tonight at work." Gale says, hops in his car and drives off as if nothing ever happened.

I followed a few metres behind the others the whole way to school trying to avoid Delly. It had to end at one point though when the others went off to the primary school.

"So Good Morning Katniss." Delly greets me much too brightly.

"Hi Delly." I grumble. Does she realise that even though she's staying with Gale, nothing changes between us?

"So, did you talk to Peeta? Does he hate me?" oh that's right, I talked to Peeta for her.

"Yea I did. He doesn't hate you Delly, either does Rye." I say trying to sound dismissive.

"Oh really?! Wow, that's awesome. Hey there is Peeta over there, thanks Katniss! Peeta!" Delly calls out his name. Unfortunately calling him over here, rather than them both leaving me alone. God damn it it's too early for this.

"Morning Delly, morning Katniss." Peeta smiles at us. Okay maybe his version of bright and cheery I can deal with in the morning, but not hers. Now here comes Madge. Look at us, we're a regular little gang now.

"Madge you know Peeta and Delly right? I can't seem to get rid of them." They all laugh thinking I've made a joke.

It wasn't a joke.

"Yea I know them Kat. Hey guys." Madge smiles at them. Her and Delly immediately get to talking and being all girly and what not. Peeta just looks at me with that stupid too bright, handsome grin on his face.

"Watch it Peeta or a bug might confuse your smile for a lamp" I say, again he laughs and again I wasn't making a joke. I guess I'm just too god darn hilarious for my own good.

"I'll keep that in mind. You mentioned Prim's birthday the other day, when is it exactly? I may be able to make a cake for her. Or at least a patty cake-"

"No. We don't accept charity Peeta." immediately his face falls.

"But it could be like my gift to her from all of us?" Peeta says hopeful.

"I don't think so Peeta. It doesn't matter anyway, it's not like we could ever afford something like that." I say, again hoping to dismiss the topic entirely.

"That's the point of a gift Katniss." He laughs warmly. "You don't have to pay for it. I have ways of getting things from the bakery when the time calls for it." Instantly I'm brought back to that rainy day he took a beating for some burnt bread and in return saved Prims life. He meant it to sound light hearted but he realised the weight in what he said too.

Peeta looks over at Delly and Madge to see them away in their own world talking about Madge's birthday. He looks at me again and gives me a soft smile, warm, tender smile. I didn't even know I could read so much into so many different smiles.

Today is the day.

"Peeta. About that day. I just wanted to say thank you. I should have a long time ago but I was afraid. So. Thank you."

"Katniss you don't need to thank me for that. I would have given my leg if I knew it would have saved you two. A simple beating was no price to pay considering what I was paying for." Peeta says. How could somebody be so sweet and just plain nice to somebody he doesn't even know.

What happens next surprises us both.

"Thank you Peeta, I mean it" I insist before giving him a hug. For only a fraction of a second does he hesitate before wrapping his arms around me too.

The girls don't say anything but when the bell rings ten minutes later the four of us walk off to class, with Peetas arm still around my shoulders.

* * *

Chapter 5 - Weird, Weirder, Weirdest (Part 2)

School is finally over for the week, it's Friday afternoon and Prim, Peeta and I walk to the bakery together. Peeta says he has a surprise for Prim, an early birthday present. I don't know what it is either which makes me a little nervous.

Since Peeta and I hugged that fateful morning earlier in the week, it's like a barrier between us has dissipated. Normally when I would feel weird about somebody putting their arm around me, hugging me or even just talking to me in general. I don't. I've even talked to Peeta about things that only Gale and Prim knew too. Now that it's getting harder and harder to see Gale, Peeta is becoming more of a friend, a best friend even then I ever predicted he could be.

I know part of it is because I think he's gay. I don't feel this automatic resistance towards being near him that I do (now) with Gale or other merchant boys. At the same time though, I find myself craving his closeness because I'm not afraid he will take advantage of me because I'm from the seam.

"So Prim, seeing as though it is your birthday on Sunday I thought I'd make you a special something." Peeta finishes whispering conspiratorially and grinning mischievously at Prim before glancing at me to wink.

"Peeta we talked about this" I warn.

"It's not what you think Katniss, don't worry" He winks again. He thinks he is just so god damn charming. Just because he is doesn't it has to affect me like everybody else.

Peeta vanishes into the back of the bakery and Prim turns to me

"Isn't he just so amazing Katniss, I think he likes you" she grins cheekily at me.

"That's funny Prim." I shove my hand through her hair messing it up.

"Hey Kat!- I'm being serious."

"well I think somebody likes you little duck." I tease. The look on her face is a mixture of shock, excitement and embarrassment. Her pale, porcelain like cheeks instantly turning a rosy shade of pink.

"Really?! Who!?" Prim demands.

"I'm not telling" I poke my tongue out at her right when Peeta walks out laughing at us with his hands behind his back.

"So Prim. Happy birthday for Sunday and I hope you like it." In one swift movement he pulls out a little plastic mug from behind his back and inside is the most beautiful, edible flower I've ever seen.

"Oh. My. Gosh. Peeta did you make this?! Is it edible?! Oh wow thank you!" Prim squeals before lunging at Peeta for a hug.

"Yup it's all edible so I expect you to eat it!" Peeta teases softly before tickling her a little.

"Oh wow, gosh. Katniss can I go show Posy? She won't believe me otherwise?!" Prim squeals again.

"Sure Prim, I'll see you after work." Both Peeta and I laugh as we watch her skip away.

"It's honestly stunning Peeta."

"Yea-" I turn to face him to see he is just smiling at me goofily. "-um yea it took a while to make haha to get all the different shades of yellow I had to make it from the bottom up with each colour, like doing half petals and things like that, before using a soft brush to blend them in."

"You truly are an artist Peeta, it is probably the best gift Prim has ever gotten in her entire life. Thank you." I smile before hugging Peeta. We've been doing a lot of that lately. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to have a friend like this again.

The flower though is honestly one of the most beautiful things I've seen. It is a simple, sugar primrose. Only when you look closer there are at least 6 different shades of yellow and every single petal is an individual piece of the sugar flower. It's just. Words can't describe it.

"I'm still driving you to work right?" Peeta says jokingly swinging his keys around on his finger. I simply laugh.

"Yes please, if it's not any trouble." Peeta just puts his arm around my shoulders and leads me to his car.

"no, trouble, at all." He smiles and squeezes my shoulders gently. "There is something I want to show you tonight, can I pick you up from work?" Peeta asks me nervously.

"Umm yea sure, Mum seems to be aware of things now so I'm not worried about Prim being there by herself. Sounds good. I finish at 8 as-"

"per usual I know" Peeta interrupts me and grins. I jokingly hit his shoulder as we pull up to Freshbuys-bestbuys.

"See you then." I smile and wave. As I turn to go through the back door of the store I, literally, run into Gale.

"oh, Katniss. Your boyfriend dropping you off again?" Gale says, his voice dripping with malice.

"Lay off it Gale, he's not my boyfriend and what does it matter to you? I thought we talked about this." I angrily spit back.

All week Gale has been very hot and cold. One minute he's like my best friend again, the next he wants to kiss me, then its times like this where I think he wants to beat up who ever I talk to. He's throwing me through a loop but the more times I go around, the less I want to stay on board at all.

"Yea what ever, I know 'you guys aren't a couple'. It's hard to believe that when you walk around school with his arm around you." Gale scoffs.

"He also does that with Delly and with Madge! I happen to like having a friend that, for the first time in a long time, actually wants to hang out with me, not just get into my pants or fill the time! I have to get ready for work. Bye!" I shove him out of my way and march straight into the workers lounge.

* * *

So after another awkward shift of Gale acting moodier than a pregnant woman, it's finally 8 and I'm finally packing up my things in the workers lounge. I get a txt from Peeta telling me he's out back so I reply saying I'm ready when I hear the door to the main part of the store shut and lock behind me.

Confused I turn around to see Gale walking towards me, with a look in his eyes I've never seen before. No, that's a lie I've seen it before once.

"Gale what are you doing, we aren't meant to look the main door unless we finish night-fill." I stammer nervously, trying to pack my things faster.

"The door is locked? Whoops. It's not the only exit out of here." he says, his voice lathered in a particular tone I can't identify, before walking and standing in front of the only exit now. The back exit.

"Gale, you're acting really strange."

"I'm acting strange? Oh no Katniss, you're acting strange being all buddy buddy with Peeta now and who knows who else you've been 'close' to now since we split up huh? I'm just taking my turn, given that you were mine first." Gale leers, slowly stepping towards me.

"Gale what are you talking about? I've never been with anybody since you, you know I'm not like one of those, those whores."

"really Katniss? You're not?" He says still getting closer and closer to me. By now my back is almost up against that god damn un-plastered brick wall and he's almost directly in front of me.

"I mean Katniss, it's just me. We used to do this back here all the time when we were a couple, how is it any different now?" Gale whispers in my ear, one hand pressed against the wall fencing me in, the other slowly opening the front of my buttoned top.

"G-Gale, please don't, you know things are d-different now." I stutter nervously. I'm not the kind to just let something like this happen to me. I can't fight back though, it's Gale. Gale, my first love. Gale who used to be my best friend. I don't think I'd be able to hurt him purposely let alone win a fight against him, he is 2 feet taller than me and made of muscle.

He slams his other hand on the wall beside me completely fencing me in and ripping my shirt open simultaneously. **(AN: Caution, what you are about to read my be upsetting. You can skip to part three down the page if you want, the story will still make sense.)**

"Is it different now because of Mellark?! Has the pretty Merchant boy given the whore from the seam some values and morals?" Gale spits at me, his words laced in venom. His hand starts to roam again, going over my chest, down my stomach, roughly grabbing my ass. "I'm just taking back what was mine." He whispers again grabbing my ass with both of his hands, lifting me up, pinning me to the wall and kissing me so hard my head hits the bricks behind me.

I try to struggle against him but he's got a vice-like grip on me. Every time I try to move my head or back he just bangs me back into the brick, so hard I can feel bruises and cuts already forming and bleeding.

He's holding me up with one arm now, his other hand viciously grabbing at anything in sight. In one swift move he rips my bra off and drops me to the ground.

I land on my back with a thud, so hard that I'm winded, giving him a head start with unbuttoning my pants. I try to scream for help but nothing is coming out.

By this point tears are streaming down my face and Gale already has my pants down by my knees. I try to twist more and I finally kick him in the jewels. Turning I try to crawl away but I still don't have my breath back. He grabs my ankle as I'm standing up and pulls me back to the ground hard.

I try to scream but Gale kisses me roughly, pinning my head to the ground, he starts to violently kiss down my neck before sucking and biting on my nipples so hard I think they're going to bleed. I try to scream again but he hits me this time and my head flies to the side. I'm barely aware of what's happening when I kick him again, this time in the face just as he pulls down the hem of my underwear. I scream so loud my head spins.

Peeta is just outside, he must have heard me. Gale starts crawling towards me again and this time he forces my legs apart. I try to struggle and crawl away but he won't let go. Screaming and thrashing he hits me across the jaw again and I lay limp.

My head is swimming so much I can hardly see straight. I can feel him doing things to my body but nothing seems real.

All of a sudden I feel his weight lifted off me and I can vaguely see somebody punching Gale. I slowly roll over and start to crawl away. Behind me, my hearing is starting to clear again and I can hear Gale apologising and somebody being hit, or kicked. I'm not too sure.

After what feels like an eternity I finally crawl to my pants, which were thrown across the room. I slowly pull them on, afraid if I go any faster I'll pass out. When I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder I scream and fall to the ground but somebody catches me.

"You're safe now Katniss, everything is going to be okay." Peeta says as he picks me up and carries me to his car.

* * *

Chapter 5 - Weird, Weirder, Weirdest (Part 3)

So it's been a few weeks since the incident. Gale still won't even look at me. It doesn't help that I refuse to go anywhere near him. What's funny though, I may have lost Gale but I seemed to have gained something even better.

Since what happened with Gale, every morning it's just been Prim, Delly and I taking the younger Hawthornes to school. At school itself, the weird thing is, I've had more 'real' friends than ever before. At lunch time I sit with Delly, Madge and Peeta and in all my classes I have either Delly or Madge to be with. I'm never alone any more.

Which is weird. I feel weird. They're all weird. Which is kind of good.

After that night, Peeta promised me he wouldn't tell a single soul about what happened. Peeta told me that when he heard my scream he knew something was wrong. Inside he found Gale on top of a half naked me and before he knew it, he was punching the living daylights out of Gale. It seemed to "wake him up" so to speak. Apparently after the first few punches Gale started apologising and crying.

Point is, I don't have to see Gale any more except for work, where we stay out of each others way, or family stuff where I never leave Prims side.

It's almost ten minutes until Friday afternoon and I don't have to work today. So Prim, Delly and I are going to walk Peeta to the bakery, then Delly is going to come back to our house.

I've never really had a "friend" before. Madge is my friend but she can't come to our house in the seam again. Not because her father is the mayor or anything but because she looks too much like her aunt, her aunt who died in the train crash that my father did.

When mum saw Madge the first time in our living room she ran outside looking for Dad, we found her asking our neighbours if he was coming on the later train, because Maysilee was already home. We tried to calm her down and bring her back to reality, this reality. Instead she completely snapped and started sobbing and screaming at Madge.

"Maysilee! How could you leave him there?! You're alive and he's dead!? Your best friends husband is dead! Your best friend is dead! What have you got to say about it?! NOTHING?! What kind of God is there?! What kind of friend are you?! You don't deserve to live while he's not!"

We finally made her realise that it was Madge she was harassing, not Maysilee once Madge and Prim started to cry.

She looked at Madge ashamed, then her eyes glazed over and she wasn't here with us anymore.

As you can imagine, we (and Madge's parents) thought it was best if Madge didn't come over again, at least until Mum got better.

"Katniss, Prim was looking for you earlier." my thoughts get interrupted by a young Mr Hawthorne. "Is it okay if Prim comes to our house today?"

"Hey Rory, yea sure no problem. Just let me know when I should walk her home."

"Oh don't worry, Gale already offered to drive her home tonight after dinner, thanks Katniss" Rory smiles before breaking into a jog.

Right. Of course Gale would do that, just because him and I aren't talking, doesn't mean his relationship with everybody else isn't fine. He doesn't try to rape any other girl he knows, except me.

On second thoughts. I suddenly feel a little bit uncomfortable with the idea of somebody like Gale, or the way Gale was the other night, in a car alone with Prim.

I'm being ridiculous, he is like a big brother to Prim, she of all people is in no danger around him. Is she?

"hey- woah there Katniss what did the book ever do to you?" Peeta chuckles, gently taking the notebook that I was currently twisting violently out of my hands.

"oh hi, sorry Peeta I was just thinking about. Something. Know what's taking Delly so long?"

"I don't know, probably talking to a teacher or something. Man I certainly wouldn't want to be whatever you were thinking about just then, is everything okay? Did you see Gale with that chick?" What chick?

"umm no, I don't care who Gale is with." I nod towards the big tree and we start walking. "But suppose if, hypothetically, I did care... Who's the chick?" Peeta sighs and looks down at me sadly. Oh man, is the chick somebody I know? Does he think it's going to hurt me?

"Well... You know I have nothing against girls from the Seam." Peeta pauses.

"Just spit it out Peeta, I'm a big girl." I say impatiently. He sighs, looks out towards the gate before continuing.

"I don't personally know who she is... but I saw him making out with one of 'those' girls in the courtyard today."

No. He wouldn't. I can't believe it.

Gale is with one of those whores. Literally. A whore! He most certainly isn't paying for it. Gale wouldn't do that- would he? no- but. He would. would he? He did.

"I'm really sorry Katniss, ugh I shouldn't have said anything. Look I'm just going to go, Delly will be here in a minute. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Peeta says turning around to leave. Peeta is so sweet. He seems so genuinely upset that he might have hurt me. Any guy would be lucky to have him.

"Peeta it's okay, it's not like that really. He can fuck whoever he likes. It's more the whore I'm worried about, but then again she's a whore." I smile at him to lift the mood.

"really? Are you sure? I just thought, even with everything that happened, I just. I thought you still had feelings for him?" Peeta says surprised.

"No. Our breakup was very mutual. Especially since what happened I'm even more sure that I don't love him like that any more. At first it was confusing, how we were feeling, but now I couldn't be more sure that I don't love him any more." Opening up to Peeta seems too easy. It frightens me just how easy it is.

Peeta suddenly lights up and starts smiling that big, bright Peeta smile of his again. I just smile back. It's hard not to smile when he's around.

He swiftly swings his arm around my shoulders and we walk up to the waving Delly who has magically appeared at the school gates. Even with what happened, being with Peeta like this doesn't frighten me like it normally would. With Peeta it just seems so natural, normal, nice, weird but in a good way. To be honest I don't really want to tell him he can't.

Having friends is changing me. Like I said before, it's weird.

"Looks like you're in a good mood hey Peet? Hey Kat, ready to go?" Delly says smiling at us, in particular at Peeta.

Sometimes I feel like Delly has a crush on Peeta. I know she doesn't and I mean she was only just dumped, by his brother of all people, but I feel like sometimes there is a little bit more to those smiles. I just don't know what it is.

"Yea sure, Prim is going to the-the Hawthornes this afternoon so it will just be us at home." and mum.

"Sweet, I need a good private girly chat and- Katniss, really? you don't need to make that look, talking never hurt anybody" I'd disagree with that.

When Peeta laughs I can feel it reverberate through my entire body because of our close proximity. When those big blue eyes look down at me I feel like I could just about do anything.

God when did I become so.

Weird.

* * *

"So this is Katniss Everdeens bedroom. It is... Exactly like I thought it would be" Delly giggles before plopping down onto my bed. I don't know whether to laugh along or be offended.

"I think Peeta knows why Rye broke up with me" No beating around the bush I see, we'll jump straight into the deep and meaningful shit.

Perfect.

It's just the way I like it...

"You realise who you're talking to right? I'm as observant as a slug when it comes to people." Delly just laughs at me, as if I were making a joke. Which I wasn't.

"This is serious Katniss and I'm sorry but you're all I've got at the moment. Whenever I bring it up with Peeta he just gets all nervous, won't look me in the eye and makes up some excuse to leave. God I'm such an awkward human being. Katniss help, Peeta would tell you anything."

What's that supposed to mean?

"I dunno Delly, you know Peeta better than I do." I look down at my fidgeting hands. Come on Katniss, is it really that hard to be a friend to somebody? A few awkward, silent minutes go by when I hear Delly struggle to sigh.

"Oh Katniss I don't know what to do with my life any more without Rye in it." Delly bursts into tears and flings her arms around me.

"Delly come on, I'm sure things will be okay eventually." I pat her on the back. Is that what you do? Or are you meant to rub. No, rubbing feels awkward, like I'm trying to hit on her. I'll stick to patting her on the back while she cries. No, that's too much patting, now I'm treating her like Prim would treat her cat. When are hugs meant to end? Is this too long? Should I just let her cry on my shoulder? It's getting really wet.

I should probably say something now, I think it's been quiet (minus Delly's sobs) too long.

"There there Delly." 'there there'? what the fuck are you Katniss, 88 years old? Delly softly giggles through her tears.

"You are such an awkward comforter Katniss." she smiles at me. Well it was her fault for coming to me. "But I know you were just trying so thanks. I'm actually feeling a little, tiny, tinsy-winsy bit better now." Delly smiles again, her eyes aren't in it though. Why do I get myself into these situations.

"Delly why don't you stay the night?" I hope I don't regret this. She immediately lights up though, so maybe it will be worth it.

"Really?! Oh wow Katniss a sleep over? Have you ever even had a sleepover?" Starting to regret it.

"I'll go get some clothes from the Hawthornes, I'll be back soon." That's right she's still staying with Gale. Well no that's not technically true, she's staying with the family. Gales mum being her godmother and all that.

"Well, how about while you're doing that I go see Peeta when he finishes work, ask him about Rye and come back here and tell you what he tells me?" am I just not the best friend ever.

"Thank you so much Katniss!" she hugs me. Why do people hug all the time? "You are such a good friend." with that, Delly runs out the door.

If she wasn't so bubbly and clueless I'd be offended by how surprised she sounded that I could be a good friend. Do I really come across as that cold? I mean I am but I don't know if I really want her and Peeta to think I am.

Well to be honest I don't really want Peeta to think I am a cold, heartless bitch.

Whenever I'm around him I feel like if we were food on a buffet table, I'd be the untouched bowel of over cooked mystery meat that nobody will dare go near and he is the delicious, warm, approachable chocolate cake that everybody is lining up for.

_**[Google Search Bar: Define Weird? -enter-]**_

_**weird/wi(ə)rd/**_

_**Adjective: Suggesting something supernatural; uncanny: "the weird crying of a seal".**_  
_**Noun: A person's destiny.**_  
_**Verb: Induce a sense of disbelief or alienation in someone.**_  
_**Synonyms:**_  
_**adjective. strange - odd - peculiar - quaint - uncanny - bizarre**_  
_**noun. fate - destiny - lot - fortune - doom - luck - kismet**_

Huh...so that was no help at all and held no relevance.

* * *

I'm waiting outside the bakery for Peeta to finish. When he saw me through the window he seemed very surprised. Is surprised good or bad?

"Katniss, I didn't expect you here tonight. Is everything okay?" Peeta greets me. I pat the empty seat next to me under a tree, motioning for him to sit with me.

"Yea, no, I guess. Hmm. It's just Delly. She's really torn up about your brother still you know? I'm worried about her and she thinks. Well. She thinks you know something about the breakup." I sigh. I'm not good at these things.

When Peeta sits down he casually slings his arm on the back of the bench. Which means it's practically around me. I can feel the warmth his body is generating. All I want to do is curl up under his arm and pretend the last month didn't happen. But if it never happened I wouldn't be here under his warm, muscular arm right now. I can't deny he is very attractive. He's gay though so it really doesn't matter if I'm attracted to him. On that thought I snuggle a little bit closer to him, something I wouldn't do with any straight male friend, if I had any.

"Yea I do. But if Delly knew the truth I think it would just about crush her." Peeta suddenly starts speaking.

"She already is crushed" I sigh and run my hands through his hair to get some caked flour out of it. Peeta looks at me, his blue eyes filled with sadness. I can't bear to look at them any longer, lest I do something I regret, so I rest my head on his shoulder.

"This is different." He sighs too and slides his arm down gently. His hand now rests on my arm, his thumb gently stroking the exposed skin of my upper arm in a circular motion. Which kinda tickles and gives me goosebumps in the nice way.

"Rye broke up with her. Not because of her. But because of who she's not, and who he is."

"Very Cryptic Mr Mellark, care to divulge a little more?" I gently nudge him in the side.

"He was pretending to be somebody he's not, and Delly happened to get caught in the middle. I'm just. Look after her tomorrow okay, I'm sure word will travel fast after tonight." Peeta slowly gets up and starts to walk away. The absence of his warmth is almost alarming.

"Wait! Peeta what are you talking about?" I follow him.

"Delly was brought up conservative, very religious." Peeta stops and looks down at me, staring at me so intently as if trying to convey what his thinking to me with only his eyes.

"I can't read minds Peeta what are you talking about?"

"It's Rye. He is leaving town tonight, with somebody. For good" With somebody? Was Rye cheating on Delly this whole time?

"Katniss I'm sorry, I really can't tell you, I don't even know what you think about. About him." Peeta is being so mysterious, who the hell is Rye running away with?

"Peeta I'm worried now, if I'm going to help Delly tomorrow with what ever it is you're talking about I need to know now!"

"Katniss how do you feel about homosexuality?" What kind of a question is that? Is Peeta going to come out of the closet, right now, he chooses this of ALL moments to come out of the closet!

"Fine! Absolutely fine, I have no problems with it what so ever, what's that got to do with anything?!"

"Delly is very religious, and very conservative, much like the rest of this part of the district and is not okay with homosexuality at all."

"Peeta, stop beating around the bush, where are you going with this?" I realise I'm being impatient, I don't really care though.

"I can't say."

"Peeta just spit it out already, you know you're going to tell me"

"Katniss, I just. This is really big, nobody knows this."

"PEETA!"

"Rye is eloping with Thom!"

* * *

**A/N: Okay so I realise the end still may seem a little bit rushed but I couldn't quite get out exactly what I was trying to with out it sounding a little rushed...if that makes sense...I don't know, either way more shall be explained in the next chapter so keep reading and let me know what you think :)**


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